Page 63 of Finding the Forward: Part Two
“This is the car I want at some point.” She showed me another picture on her phone.
“I could see you driving that.” It was a sporty green 4x4 buggy. A little much for NYC, but perfect for going up to the mountains where the cabin was. We’d need to upgrade our SUV and 4x4 so that Verity and Mercy would fit.
Verity joined us. “I rebooted the laundry.” She glanced at the windows and the storm brewing outside. Her face fell. “Oh, it’s snowing. What’s the best way to get to campus? They’ve fixed my greenhouse, so I should go in tomorrow. There was so much I wanted to get done over break and it didn’t happen.”
Her scent soured, and I put an arm around her.
“It’s easy enough, but we should keep an eye on the storm. They’ll understand if you don’t get everything all fixed before classes start,” I told her.
“I know,” she sighed. “Still, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
My grip on her tightened. I liked things to go according to plan, too.
“It’ll be fine, Ver. I’ll even help,” Mercy assured, putting the top and rind of the pineapple in the food scrap bin. “Game’s back on.” She grabbed all three bowls and forks.
“I can do the dishes during intermission? I don’t know your house rules,” Verity said as I led her back to the couch.
“That’s fine. The big one is to clean up after yourself. Leave public spaces as you found them. If you need the dining room table for a project, great, just give us a heads-up. Same if people are coming over. Respect private spaces. Ask before using Grif’s piano. Don’t fuck up anyone’s game progress. Lose puzzle pieces to your own detriment. Don’t leave dishes in the sink overnight. If you bring dishes into your room, bring them back out.” I couldn’t think of anything else, though Jonas probably had some.
Once again, Verity curled into me, and it felt so nice, so natural. Ienjoyed spendingtime with her, though part of me wished Grif was here, too.
“Can I eat anything I want?” Mercy asked with her eyes on the TV, the game back on.
“As long as it’s not labeled. Also, label anything that’s only yours. Anything you finish, put on the grocery list. Don’t put empty or practically empty containers back.” I took a bowl and had a piece of pineapple. It was perfectly ripe and sweet.
“Fair.” Mercy popped a piece of pineapple into her mouth.
We watched the game as the Knights continued to hold on to their lead. Throughout every commercial break, Verity would get up, do a couple of things in the kitchen, and then sit back down.
She must be a bit like Jonas. I kept things neat because I liked to take care of my stuff. Jonas liked everything to be orderly because it distracted him if they weren’t.
Between the second and third period when they went to intermission, Verity returned to the kitchen to finish cleaning. Mercy put away the laundry. I caught up on work emails.
“Do you need help?” I asked Verity. The dishwasher was running, and the platter sat in the drying rack next to the sink.
Verity shook her head as she hand-washed the blender and rice cooker pot. “I’m fine.”
I walked the balconies, seeing if anything needed to be put in, covering the main furniture, and moving the small table and chair on my balcony into my room.
When I came back out, Verity wasn’t there. I walked up the stairs to do the same for the terrace, including moving the grill into the hall and quickly cleaning it.
Right as the game came back on, I took a seat on the couch. Verity wiped down the counters. Mercy plopped down on the ottoman with a box of the cookies we’d bought earlier.
“Verity, game’s back on,” I told her. “It can wait.”
“Almost done,” she called from the kitchen.
The third period started off fast and furious, as the Étoiles tried to even the score. Jonas tried to block their forward, but he knocked him down and went for the goal. Dean caught the shot as he slid to the left. I cheered.
“Ver, you’re missing the game!” Mercy yelled.
“I can see it from here,” Verity said as shemopped the floor.“AJ, I love this steam mop. It’s incredible.”
Why was she mopping the floor? Did we spill something? I’d swept up before we ate.
She finished andstarted again.Meanwhile, Grif plowed through the Étoiles’ defenses and scored again, bringing the score to 3-1.
Mercy looked over at her sister and then back to me. “You might want to deal with that.”
